Automatic coupling for railway-vehicles.



i y FATBNTEB EEG. S, QWTHORN L M. F. MANN.

APYLIUATION HLED 31111.28, 1907.

3 SHEETS-SHEET a.

`WILLIAM THORN AND MARCUS FREDERICK MANN, OF EXETER, ENGLAND.y

AT IT'IOMATIC COUPLING- FOR RAILWAY-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1907.

l Applicatinn filed January Z8. 1907. Serial 110.354.548.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that We, VILLIAM THoRN and MAncUs FREDERICK MANN, subjects ol the ling et Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Exeter, in the county of Devon, Engvention., such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic couplings Vlor railway vehicles und the like and consists principally of an automatic coupling in which coupling chains and hooks the same (or substantially the,`

same) as now generally in use with the ordinary non-automatic couplings are employed,

l and also the draw gear as now in use may be employed, the action with this invention being that as the vehicles come together for the purpose ot coupling the couplers contact with each other and consequently one or the other el the couplers is actuated so as to lift or move the coupling chain of one-yelliclc with its coupling link into engagement with the coupling hook on the other vehicle, the

outer ends of the coupling chains being carried by the coupler. The accompanying.drawings illustrate a method et carrying out the invention.

Figure l is a side elevation of part of the end portions et two adjacent trucks or vehicles with the automatic couplers according to this invention, one of the couplers being in the actuated position, i. c. the vehicles being coupled together. Fig. 2 is a similar view to Fig. ibut shows the vehicles uneoupled. Fig. 25 is a plan vie-v' otpart of the autom atie coup er hereinafter' described. l11 ig. t is a plan view o the end link of the. or dinary coupling chain. Fig. 5 shows one ot' the swivel supports lor the end link ot' the coupling chain as hereinafter described. Fig. ti is a detail plan view of one hook and its coupling liuks,showing the means 'for support-ing the outer link, and drawn to a larger scale. Fig. 7 is a iront view of one of the guide-plates.

liike reference numbers indicate correspending parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to thedrawings, 1 and 2 are the portions of the ends of two adjacent vehicles which are provided with the usual coupling or draw hooks 3. Inasmuch as the automatic coupler of each .vehicle is similar it will only be necessary to describe in detail the coupler ot one vehicle, and we will theretore describe the coupler of the right hand vehicle No. 2 which is shown in the position in which it has been operated so as to engage the outer link of the coupling chain of this vehicle with the draw hook ot' the left hand vehicle No. 1.

The outer link 4 of the ordinary three-link coupling chain is, in the example shown,

pivotally mounted on the upperends of a pair of curved supports or arms 5, 5 whosev lou er ends are mounted on or engage' the rectangular reduced ends 6, ot a rectangular shaft or cross-.bar 7 on which latter isy mounted a curved block or cam 8'; the pivots 7 a of the outer reduced ends 6 of shaft 7 between the curtjed arms 5 and the cam 8 are circular and work in the outer slotted ends E), 9 ol the bars or rods l0, 10 (Fig. 3), the inner or right hand ends of the bars 10 being also provided with slots 11, 11 which are adapted to work about pins or bolts 12, 12 in a l'rame. 13 which latter is provided with pivots 14, 'Isl these latter pivot-s working in holes or' bearings in the brackets'or hangers l5, l5 suitably secured t'o the vehicler frame. 'lhe outer link 4 of the coupling chain is pivotally mounted on the upper ends of the curved arms' by` means ot' swivels 16 (see Fig. 5) one ol which is provided on each side of the link ft; the jaw 16 of the swivel, which is adapted to engage the side of the link 4, is formed as shown -uitha narrow opening 17 adapted to slip over a reduced or flattened part 17 ofthe link 4 and when so slipped over, the circular part el' the jaw llL can engage the side of the link 4. The suivels are thus capable `of longitudinal movement on the side of the links as will be clear from Fig. l whereit will be seen that the swivel 16 of the link fl of the coupling chain on the right'hand vehicle No. 2 is at the inner end ot'theisaid link while the su ivel 16 of the link 4 belonging to the lefthand vehicle No. l ,is up against the stops (here` inalter described) adjaeentto the outerends y ot thisv last mentioned link.

v coupled.

,o Fig. 3.

. J so as tooperatively engage the pivots 18; these upper ends of the arms 5 engage the inner ends of the pivots 18, adjacent to the s ivel jaw 16a and on the outer ends of each of the pivots 18 is mounted a curved arm 19 the i5 upper ends of these curved arms being also provided with eyes or pivot holes adapted to engage the pivots 18.

Nv hen the upper ends of the arms 5 and 19 have been threaded on to their respective 20 pivots 18 they may be retained therein by means of split pins or cotters, a pin hole 20 (big. 5) being provided through each of the pivots 18. Each of the curved arms or bars 19 works through a slot (shovin by dotted lines in F ig. 1) in a plateor bracket 21 forming a guide fixed to the buffer bar, or otheru ise conveniently arranged, and each of the said arms or bars 19 is provided vtith a laterally projecting pin or stop 22 (or pins or i0 stops) adapted to limit the rear ard or downward movement ofthe said arms, by the pinscoming in contact u ith the brackets or guide plate 21, and thus to retain the outer link 4 1n proper position when the vehicles are un- It will be understood that the coupler of each vehicle has tu o arms 19 cach of which, in the example show n, engages the end of the respective pivot 18 outside the arms 5, 5,

Each of these arms 19 may be provided at its lower end with a suitable weight 23 to insure the parts retur-ning to their proper normal .position vshen the vehicles are uncoupled. The rods or bars 10, 10 hereinbefore described, also work through the bracket or guide plate 21 which may be provided with suitable slots or guide ays for the purpose. The guide plates 21 may be in-the form of 1J shaped brackets u ith slots in'the .Side arms for the bars 11) to work through.

lThe intermediate link o1 the couplingr chain of each vehicle may be provided u ith a crossbar 24 to insure that the links assume the proper free position vv hen the vehicles are uncoupled.

The workin according to the example shown is as fol cwest-Assuming the vehicles ,Nos 1 and 2 to be uncoupled shown in Fig. 2, the couplers of each vehicle being then in the position shown, and that it is desired tocouple the vehicles, one of them, for instance vehicle No. 2, is moved up to vehicle No. 1. In this movement the blocks orcams t5 will come in contact with each other and the cams will both be turned to an approximais@ mately vertical position. One cam will then ride over the other according to the relative positions of the cams as controlled by the road-bed or other natural cause. In the example shown the cam 8 of vehicle No. 2 will be tilted downwards or' towards a vertical position so that its upper curved surface wil ride u or slide on the u per curved surface of t e cam of vehicle and 2, through the'angular pivots or ends 6 of the shaft 7 on which the said cam 8 is outer link 4 vup onto the draw hook 3 o vvehicle No."1.thus cou ling the Atwo vehicles together, the cam 8 o vehicle N o. 2 having then assed over or to the rear of the'cam or ve icle N o. 1 which latter cam is then in its normal position as shown in Fig. 1. The arms 19 of the coupler of vehicle No. 2A will of course, by the action just described, be moved to the position shown in Fig. 1 owing to the upper ends of these arms being connected to the ivots 18 of the swivel 16 by which the lin 4 is supported on'the curved arms or supports 5, 5.

When the link 4 of the coupling chain of vehicle No. 2 is a ain disengaged from'the the vehicles (which may be done in any known or convenient manner), the coupler of vehicle 1N o, 2 will automatically return to the normal or uncoupled position shown in Fig. 2, the weights 23 on the lower ends of the bars 19 insuring or assisting the return of the partsto the normal position.

It will be seen that with this invention the coupling of the vehicles together is purely automatic and is effected simply by the movement of one vehicle up to the 1ers byhand being necessary.

The slots in the outer 'or left hand ends of the bars 10 are provided for the purpose of facilitating coupling of the vehicles on a curve. By means of these slots it will be seen that if the'vehicles are on a curve and the blocks or cams 8 consequently'not lin a direct line with one another or in such position that they will not meet one another squarely end to end but will come in contact at one or other of their edges a turning movement of the cams 8 and link supports 5, 5 can take place thus providing the necessary adjustment for coupling on a curve. What we claim as our inventionand -desire to secure by Letters Patent isz- 1. In a car coupling, the combination, with two cars eachprovided with a coupling-chain and a coupling-hook; of jointed arms pivotally connected with the said cars and normally supporting the said links in an. uncoupled position, and cams carried by the said arms at their joints and operating automatically to place the couplingmounted, the curved arms 5 will be turned or ,f moved forward and upward thus liftin the draw hook of'vehic e No. 1, so as to uncoup'le other, no previous adjustment of the coupchain of one car in engagement with'the connected with the said arms and operat-l ing automatically to place the couplingchain of one car in ,engagement with the cou ling-hook of the other car when the sai( cars are moved together.

3. In a` car coupling, the combination, with two cars each provided with a couplingchain and a couplmg-lmok; of guide-plates secured to the said cars, arms 10 pivotally connected with the said cars and slidable in the said guide-plates, arms 5 pivoted to the said arms 10 and normally supporting the said links in an uncoupled position, weighted arms 19 connected tothe said arms 5`and slidable in the said guide-plates andoperating to retract thesaid chains automaticallyhooks, and4 when disengaged froml the saidfj cams connected. with theusai` farms 5 and 30.0peratingy automatically topflace the coupling-chain of one car in engagement with the coupling-hookof the other car when the'said cars are moved together.

4. In a car coupling, the combination,

'35 with two cars each provided with a couplingchain and a coupling-hook; of jointed arms pivotally connected with the said cars and normally supporting the said links in an unvcoupled position, uncoupling-poles piv'oted to the said cars for uncoupling the said 40 chains from the said hooks, weighted' arms for retracting the said chains when uncoupled by the said poles, and cams carried by the saidarms at their joints and operating auto-y matically to place the coupling-chain of one car in engagement with the cou ling-hook of the other kcar when the sai cars are moved together.

5. In a car coupling, the combination,

with two cars eachl provided with a couplingchain anda coupling-hook; of jointed arms pivotally connected with the said oars, swivels pivoted to the free `,end portions of the said arms and slidable longitudinally on the end links of the said chains, and cams carried by the said arms at their joints and operating automatically to place the coupling-chain of one oar in engagement with the coupling-hook ofthe other car when the said cars are moved together. j 6. In a car coupling, the combination, with two cars each rovided with a couplingchainjand a coupiing-hook; Vof su porting mechanism connected with each sai oar and normally holding the links of the said coupling-chains in an uncoupled osition, and opposed cams carr1ed by the said supporting mechanisms and operatmg to place the coupling-chain of one car 'in engagement with thecoupling-'hook of the other oar when the said cars are moved together;

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures, in resenceA of two witnesses.

W LLIAM THORN. MARCUSv FREDERICK MANN. Witnesses:

FRANK BAILEY, EDGAR M.l MANN'. 

